Indians: Gomes will play for Team Brazil in the WBC during spring training

For all those Indians fans who have been wondering when the team was going to fill that gaping hole on their roster for a Portuguese-speaking, Brazilian-born catcher/third baseman/first baseman -- your ship has finally come in.

Say hello to Yan Gomes.

Then say goodbye to Yan Gomes.

In spring training he'll take time out from trying to win a job on the Indians' opening day roster in order to fly to Japan as a member of Team Brazil, which will compete in the World Baseball Classic.

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"Hopefully they (Indians officials) won't hold it against me that I'm going to be representing my country," said Gomes.

The globetrotting Gomes rarely stays in one place very long. He was born in Brazil, speaks fluent Portuguese, attended high school in Miami, was a freshman All-American as a catcher at the University of Tennessee, transferred to Barry University in Miami, was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 10th round of the 2009 June Draft, played minor league ball in, among other places, New Hampshire, Lansing, Mich., and Las Vegas, and was traded to the Indians two months ago.

"He's a great story," said Indians Vice President of Player Personnel Ross Atkins. "The first Brazilian to make it to the major leagues."

That happened last year, following the first of the five times Gomes was recalled by the Blue Jays from Triple-A Las Vegas.

In 305 at bats at-Las Vega,s Gomes, a right-handed hitter, batted .328 with 13 home runs and 59 RBI. His batting average, slugging percentage (.557), and OPS (.938) all would have ranked in the top 10 of the Pacific Coast League had he not been called up to the majors five different times.

"Only five? It seemed like more," said Gomes, with a laugh. "But I took it as a benefit. I learned a lot and got a lot of experience."

In 98 at-bats with the Blue Jays, Gomes hit just .204 with four homers and 13 RBI, but he impressed the Indians enough that they were willing to trade one of their top relief pitchers last year, Esmil Rogers, to Toronto for Gomes and infielder Mike Aviles.

"The trade surprised me, but I'm excited to be here, and to have the chance to play for a manager as well respected as Terry Francona," said Gomes.

"What stands out most about Yan is his commitment to baseball," said Atkins. "It's evident that it's very important to him. What his role will be here remains to be seen, but he has no ceiling."

In all likelihood, Gomes will compete with Lou Marson for the backup catcher's role. However, Gomes could also figure in as a utility infielder, since he has experience playing first and third base.

"I still like to think I'm a catcher at heart," he said.

Last year with the Blue Jays, in addition to catching and playing first and third base, Gomes was also used in left field and as a designated hitter.

All that versatility could be a big plus for him as he tries to win a spot on the Indians' roster.

Gomes was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and his family moved to Florida when he was 12 years old.

"I spoke nothing but Portuguese when we moved to Florida, but I learned English in middle school," said Gomes, who speaks excellent English, without an accent.

Gomes said there are no real organized youth baseball leagues in Brazil. He started playing the game at age seven, as part of a club team.

His baseball career took off when he came to this country, but he is still a citizen of Brazil, and played on the national team, managed by Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin, in the WBC qualifier. Gomes drove in the only run of the game in Brazil's 1-0 win over Panama, to advance to the 16-team WBC field. That tournament starts in March, which is when Gomes will leave for Japan.

"It's going to be exciting," he said. "We were underdogs vs. Panama, but we played with no fear."

Following the WBC, Gomes will return to the Indians spring training camp in Goodyear, Ariz., and resume his quest to win a big-league job.

"The Indians are a team on the way up and I hope to be a part of it," he said.

Arbo men

Tuesday was the deadline for eligible players to file for salary arbitration. The Indians had seven players among the 133 major leaguers who filed. The Indians who filed are Matt Albers, Mike Aviles, Lou Marson, Justin Masterson, Chris Perez, Joe Smith and Drew Stubbs.